Welcome.

To the UK’s leading Character Education Community for teachers, leaders and practitioners.

Information

Welcome to the UK’s leading Character Education Community for teachers, leaders and practitioners.

Association for Character Education

ACE exists to enable pupils and schools to flourish through the development of good character. Our research-led approach is designed to enable all schools within our network to become thriving Schools of Character.

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What is Character Education?

“Watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.” Good character is essential for human flourishing but must be intentionally cultivated, with schools playing a central role. As Martin Luther King said, “Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.”

For character education to thrive, it must permeate all areas of school life – taught, caught and sought through a whole-school approach. Its purpose is to enable human and societal flourishing, while also providing a low-cost, high-impact way to raise standards and improve schools. 

Who are we

Through our partnership with the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues at the University of Birmingham, we fuse together world leading research with practical strategies from accredited Schools of Character. This combination of the theoretical and the practical, shapes the support we can provide so you can become a School/Organisation of Character, wherever you are based in the world.

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In partnership with 

Meet the Team

How We Support You .

We help schools and organisations embed character education through recognition, training, resources, and expert support – guided by the proven model of Caught, Taught, and Sought.

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Upcoming Conferences

Members will be notified by email when further information and registration become available.

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Conference

ACE Conference 2026 – Leeds (Northern Conference)

We’re excited to announce our upcoming event, which will bring together schools and organisations from across the Southern part of

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Conference

ACE Conference 2026 – Reading (Southern Conference)

We’re excited to announce our upcoming event, which will bring together schools and organisations from across the Northern part of

Membership​

Join the largest network of character-education practitioners and access all the support you need to embed character within your unique setting.

Membership

£170

  • Quality Mark Framework access
  • Application for QM Awards access
  • Resource Portal access
  • Fortnightly Insights bulletin
  • Three tickets to the annual conference
  • 1-1 consultation with our expert
  • Regional Hubs access
Join

Membership Plus

£225

  • Membership Plus includes all standard benefits plus access to our digital CPD Hub, ensuring every staff member is equipped to be a leader of character and embed it across school life.

    This whole school training is rooted in proven philosophy, theory and practice, with best practice from existing Schools of Character. Membership Plus pricing is based on school size so it is cost effective for all.
  • Everything in Membership
  • Digital CPD Hub access for all staff
  • Conference keynote VODs
  • Character Education Self-Assessment Tool and Tailored Whole-School Plan Generator
Join Learn More

ACE Quality Marks

ACE awards three Quality Marks, recognising transformative character education delivered by schools, colleges, and organisations. The awards celebrate character education that is explicit, planned, and reflective, enabling the cultivation of positive character qualities in the interests of human flourishing. The Quality Mark is exclusively available to ACE members.

89%

of members rated the assessment process at least 8/10 in helping to further character provision

84%

of members rated the assessment process 10/10 in providing recognition for schools’ character education

In-Person CPD

For a school’s character education to flourish, staff and leaders need to be supported to understand the theory and practice that underpins it. And so, training is essential.

ACE can provide tailored, in-person training, for schools and organisations in the UK or overseas.

Access to our Digital Training Hub is also available for those who have Membership Plus. Click below to see a preview.

Members get a

25

Discount

%

with a standard session costing £495 for UK members.

92%

of members rated the training 9 or 10 out of 10

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Contact Us

Let us know how we can help you

Drop your contact details into the form, and we’ll reach out to you!
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or call us: 0121 828 8211

General Enquiry
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Association for Character Education Ltd.

Registered Charity Number: 1178166.

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ACE Conference 2026 – Reading (Southern Conference)

We’re excited to announce our upcoming event, which will bring together schools and organisations from across the Northern part of

100 Longwater Avenue Green Park Reading Berkshire RG2 6GP
July 8, 2026

ACE Conference 2026 – Leeds (Northern Conference)

We’re excited to announce our upcoming event, which will bring together schools and organisations from across the Southern part of

Quebec St, Leeds LS1 2HA
June 24, 2026